“With absolute domination of the style in musical key, tenor Paul Appleby and Soprano Meghan “grazed and packed the papers” of Candide and Cunegonde— Picerno took the most applause of the night with the pyrotechnics of Glitter and be Gay…”
El País
“Meghan Picerno’s Cunegonde was delicious”
El Periódico
“Picerno excelled (you can see her experience in musical theater) in her performances, and was a coloratura soprano that captivated us since the beginning, awakening the enthusiasm of the audience (especially with “Glitter and Be Gay”)”
En Platea
"A relatively unknown young soprano, Meghan Picerno, was announced to play Cunegonde, and any doubts one might have had were quickly dissipated. From the first scenes it was clear that she is a singer who can dominate this character from top to bottom. A light soprano with an attractive voice, she showed an enormous ease on stage. She had no problems with the most difficult passages and was exceptionally bright in the aria ‘Glitter and Be Gay’, earning a huge ovation from the audience."
Seen and Heard International
"…her best known “Glitter and Be Gay” performed brilliantly, gaining an ovation of those that usually do not occur in the Liceu”.
Beckmesser
“Meghan Picerno’s Cunegonde, with an indisputable theatrical sparkle, received a well-deserved ovation for the virtuostic Glitter and Be Gay, which she executed with punch and intelligence”
Platea
“The bright-voiced soprano Meghan Picerno is an exuberant Cunegonde, the daughter of a Westphalian baron”
Anthony Tommasini, NY TIMES
"Cunegonde, meanwhile, was by far the standout vocal performance of the night, portrayed to doe-eyed perfection by Meghan Picerno...the security of her technique pays off. Her dazzlingly demanding aria “Glitter and Be Gay” was a tour de force, showing off a direct, beaming coloratura soprano, a firm and bristling chest voice, and superb musical instincts...she traipsed easily through Bernstein’s torturous writing, still managing to find all the humor of the character along the way.”
Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review
“Picerno sets the audience ablaze with her Act One showstopper, “Glitter and Be Gay,” one of the most challenging and delightful coloratura arias in the canon. The song was written to showcase an extraordinary young voice — powerful, agile, wide-ranging — and beyond all doubt, Picerno’s got it."
Joseph Cermatori, The Village Voice
"The revelation is Meghan Picerno who handles the musical’s best-known show piece, Cunegonde’s double-edged lament “Glitter And Be Gay,” with sparkling ease for a coloratura’s rollercoaster ride fit to challenge any Queen of the Night."
Jeremy Gerard, Deadline.com
"The real beauty of the evening was Meghan Picerno, clear of voice and crisp of diction, who managed the challenging “Glitter and be Gay” with aplomb."
Jil Picariello, Huffington Post
"Meghan Picerno plays Cunégonde with a glittery soprano and bites into the character's lust for bling with crisp comic panache."
Michael Dale, Broadway World
"The remarkable cast is, like the work itself, a hybrid – made up of opera singers who can seriously act, and Broadway actors who can seriously sing. The vocal heavyweights in the troupe are opera singers: the delightfully appealing coloratura soprano Meghan Picerno as Cunegonde...Picerno has the daunting task of singing the challenging “Glitter and Be Gay,” and she handles both the difficult vocalizing and simultaneous acting with near perfection.”
Marilyn Lester, Theater Pizazz
"Picerno’s Cunegonde is a savvy ingenue whose flexible soprano bolsters a winning, charismatic sense of humor”
Patrick Clement James, Parterre.com
"Meghan Picerno was a down-to-earth Cunegonde by way of sassy Long Island, her coloratura sparkle displayed with aplomb in Glitter and Be Gay”
Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal
"But the glittering jewel of the evening is Ms. Picerno who has a golden voice and the slapstick elegance of a born comedienne...Not only was I impressed by the Broadway performers but the Opera singers dazzled me; especially Meghan Picerno who has the most breath-taking range and yet had the comic persona of a Madelyn Kahn. She was utterly enchanting no matter what horrid situation she landed in."
Eva Heinemann & Mark Savitt, Hi Drama
"Still, it’s the big numbers that make “Candide” memorable, and the brightest moments of Thursday’s performance all involved soprano Meghan Picerno. Making her San Francisco debut as Candide’s beloved Cunegonde, Picerno ascended the coloratura heights of “Glitter and Be Gay” with jaw-dropping precision, and her comic scenes were crisp and extroverted."
Georgia Rowe, San Francisco Examiner
"Meghan Picerno, as his beloved Cunegonde, maneuvered the stratospheric demands of the role with easy brilliance.."
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Gate
"Meghan Picerno, as Cunegonde, added gymnastics along with vocal acrobatics that made "Glitter and Be Gay" even more of a showstopper than usual.."
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times